Simon's Words
by purplerayz
Summary: That was all it took. That small moment of hesitation was all that was need for his reaction to be a second too slow. - Sequel to my story "Simon Says".
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.**

**This is the sequel to my story "Simon Says" - so I suggest you read that first. Yup. I'm already posting it. Apparently, I just can't stay away very long...**

**I appreciate reviews and comments!**

* * *

The members of the BAU Team entered the house quietly, weapons drawn, in search of their latest unsub. As they found more hallways and rooms, they began to split up. Hotch and Reid made their way up the set of stairs at the back of the house and found a long hallway at the top. Hotch decidedly took the rooms on the right, while Reid took the ones on the left. They cleared each room as they moved down the hallway, finding nothing in each one.

Reid reached the last doorway on his side. He entered the room and proceeded with his training. His eyes swept the room quickly and effectively. The room was empty for the most part. A few boxes lay scattered throughout the room. There was another door on the other side of the room, this one closed, so he began to approach it.

His eyes caught movement underneath the doorway. His training told him he should wait for Hotch to catch up with him, but that option was taken away from him when the door was opened. A man was standing on the other side. It was not the man Reid had expected, though. It was not their presumed unsub, but that fact didn't exactly matter since he was wielding a gun. Reid didn't even have a chance to say anything to the man. His gun was already aiming for Reid, and his finger was reaching towards the trigger.

_I just hope you think it through before you decide to take someone's life._

Reid couldn't stop those words from filling his mind. Simon's letter had been far from his thoughts for quite awhile. He didn't think it would affect him, but he had no way of realizing that it would until now. This was the first time this type of situation had occurred since he had returned to work. He pushed those thoughts away as he focused on the situation before him. He knew he didn't have any other option but to shoot the man before the man shot him.

But that was all it took. That small moment of hesitation was all that was needed for his reaction to be just a second too slow.

Both weapons were fired. At least one of the targets was hit. Reid felt the pain in his shoulder as he was flung backwards by the force of the bullet ripping through him. His gun fell from his hand as he hit hard on the floor. His wounded shoulder hit against the floor as well, causing him to see bursts of stars in front of his eyes. He thought that he might black out, but he was able to keep himself awake. And just as he would have expected, he heard quick footsteps beginning to approaching the room.

* * *

Hotch didn't bother to search his last remaining room and rushed into the room where he heard the gunshots come from. He rapidly scanned the area, and his eyes immediately fell upon Reid lying on the floor. He ignored his impending urge to help him and looked for the threat that he knew had to be there. But it wasn't. He felt it safe enough to holster his gun and knelt down next to Reid.

"Reid!" he called.

The bullet wound didn't look too bad. It wasn't bleeding very heavily, but it was still a bullet wound. It needed to be taken care of. Hotch used his hands to put pressure on Reid's shoulder. Reid groaned and scrunched his eyes shut in response.

"I'm sorry, Reid. I know it hurts, but I need to slow the bleeding." He knew Reid would already know this information, but he still felt the need to say it.

Hotch hadn't bothered to call for his team. They would have heard the gunshots and would be on their way up to investigate. For that reason, the footsteps he heard behind him didn't faze him the slightest.

It was the clicking sound of a safety being released that made him realize the footsteps he heard did not belong to any of his agents. Reid's injured shoulder was quickly forgotten as Hotch instinctively reached for the gun at his hip, but he froze as he felt a gun being pressed up against the back of his neck. He then felt his gun being removed from its holster.

Reid's eyes had popped open as soon as the sound reached his ears. He knew exactly what it was. A second man was standing behind Hotch with a gun. This time, Reid recognized him as their unsub, Jacob Matthews. Reid ignored the pained sensation in his shoulder as Hotch's hands left it. He could only watch as Jacob pressed the gun threateningly into Hotch's neck. Hotch knew better than to keep reaching for his gun, and his face remained emotionless as the man took his gun from him.

Reid glanced around for his own fallen gun, but it was lying a few feet away. He would never get the chance to reach it. The gun was lifted away from Hotch's neck, and Reid knew what was coming, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. The gun was slung hard against the side of Hotch's head, and he slumped sideways to the floor.

Reid nearly sighed in relief as he heard the approaching sounds of the rest of his team. That relief was short lived, however, when Jacob closed and locked the door behind him. He spouted out threats of hurting the two agents in the room with him if they didn't leave. Reid knew the team would have no choice but to recede. The two of them had now been thrust into a hostage situation. And Reid couldn't help but feel that if he hadn't hesitated to take the shot, this never would have happened.

A startling realization occurred to him. He was the only one that knew that there was a second man. They had not even profiled a second unsub, and Reid wasn't even sure where that second unsub was now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.**

**I appreciate reviews and comments!**

* * *

"Get up," the man ordered.

Jacob had successfully gotten the other team members to leave with his vigorous threats. Hotch was still slumped sideways on the floor, a trickle of blood now seeping down the side of his head, and showed no immediate signs of stirring.

Reid knew it best not to disobey the man and carefully pushed himself up off the floor. His own handcuffs were used to restrain his arms behind his back. It was a position that strained his arms in a way that put an uncomfortable pressure on his shoulder. His mind was torn away from the thought of his shoulder as Jacob roughly pushed him down into a sitting position against the wall.

Hotch was left where he was laying, but Jacob didn't leave him unrestrained. He took Hotch's handcuffs and cuffed his wrists in front of him. As he did this, he noticed the ankle holster sticking out from Hotch's pant leg. He quickly removed the backup gun, crushing any final hope Reid had of getting themselves out of this. He then walked across the room and collected Reid's fallen gun.

Four guns. Reid almost wanted to laugh at the thought. The man now had four guns in his possession. He obviously couldn't use them all. Unable to even hold all of them, he walked to the corner of the room farthest away from both Hotch and Reid and set two of them inside a box. The third went in his belt loop behind his back, and the fourth stayed in his hand, a sure warning for Reid not to try anything.

* * *

"What happened?" JJ asked. The four remaining team members were gathered outside the house and waiting for additional backup after having no choice but to leave the house. They didn't want to risk hurting Hotch and Reid any more than they already may have been.

"How did he take two federal agents hostage?" Prentiss asked in disbelief.

"It wouldn't be that difficult," Rossi reasoned. "All he had to do was catch one off guard, and threaten him to get the other to comply."

"Do you think either of them was hurt?" JJ asked. "There were two gunshots."

"I think we can't rule the possibility out," Rossi spoke sadly.

"He threatened hurting both of them, though. That means they're both still alive," Morgan commented hopefully.

"We need to get a line of communication in there."

"We could try Hotch or Reid's cell phone," Prentiss suggested.

"They may have been turned off or put on silent before the raid, but we'll have to give it a try anyway."

* * *

Hotch slowly began to stir. The throbbing in his head quickly reminded him of what had happened, and he rolled onto his back. When he noticed the cuffs on his wrists, he realized the situation was not good. He took in everything around him that had changed since he had been knocked out. He immediately noticed the absence of his ankle gun. Jacob was watching the two of them from across the room. Reid was watching him as well, but with concern. He met Reid's gaze and was shocked to see a hint of guilt in them. He questioned why, but he realized that it wasn't exactly the top priority at the moment.

He decided it was safe to sit up, and moved to sit next to Reid. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes as he allowed for the throbbing in his head to subside. When he opened them again, he ignored Reid's worried expression. He was more worried about Reid's shoulder wound than his own head wound. The bleeding from the bullet wound seemed to have slowed, but he still needed medical attention.

The phone in Hotch's pocket began vibrating, and the buzzing seemed oddly loud in the otherwise silent room. Their captor approached him and fished out the phone from his pocket. It was obvious that he knew who was calling, but he didn't answer it. Instead, he threw the phone across the room, and it broke in pieces as it hit the wall.

Reid's phone started buzzing moments later. Both agents knew that if he did the same thing with Reid's phone, there was little hope of a good ending to this. He reached into Reid's pocket and retrieved the second phone. He stared at it for a moment, seemingly deciding whether or not to repeat the action.

"I suggest you answer it," Hotch finally spoke.

"Why should I do that?" the man responded.

"It would be much better for you if you did. If you don't answer, they'll come barging in here, and you won't come out of it very well." Hotch opted to stick with the truth. He figured it would provide the best results possible from Jacob, but he was wrong.

"Good."

That word alone added to the worry the two agents felt. Jacob wasn't going to let himself be talked out of this. He knew he was caught, but he wasn't going to go down without a fight. He wanted it to end with a battle.

The man took Reid's phone and walked over to the window. He opened the window and threw it out, indicating in a clear message that there would be no negotiations.

* * *

"Guys, did you see that?"

Everyone turned to JJ, who was staring towards the house. No one else had seen.

"What?" Rossi asked.

"I think he threw something out the window," she answered.

Morgan carefully made his way towards where JJ was looking. He glanced up towards the window that he knew led to the same room that Hotch and Reid were in. The shade was pulled, and he didn't see any movement, so he continued across the grass. He spotted Reid's phone not too far away.

Morgan returned to the rest of them and held out the object he had picked up. "He's not going to talk."

Rossi nodded. "I'll try Hotch's phone again. If he doesn't answer, that means we're going to have to go in."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.**

**I appreciate reviews and comments!**

* * *

Jacob unlocked the door, another sign that this wasn't going to end well. Hotch and Reid knew the team would have no choice but to come in after failing to make contact with the man. Why Jacob waited until now, though, remained a mystery to them. He could have easily ended this much sooner, but instead, he sent the team away and took the two of them hostage. It was a foreboding thought.

Jacob approached the two agents and glared down at them. He grabbed Reid by the collar and pulled him up to his feet. He chose Reid for obvious reasons. He was much lighter and injured worse than Hotch; he would be easier to control.

"Let him go," Hotch tried to stop him, all the while knowing any effort he made wouldn't help.

* * *

The rest of the team, along with additional backup, prepared to enter the room. They had no idea what to expect. They had no idea if Hotch and Reid were okay, and they wouldn't know how to handle the situation until they actually went inside.

Finding the door unlocked was a bit of a surprise. They weren't at all shocked by the sight of Hotch and Reid, though. That had been expected. They assessed the situation and quickly turned their focus on the two agents.

Hotch was sitting against the wall, blood dripping down the side of his head, with his hands cuffed in front of him. There was blood on his hands as well, but they were more concerned with Reid. They saw the blood on his shoulder, but what worried them more was the unsub standing behind him with his gun trained on Reid's back.

A horrible sense of déjà vu swept through the other team members. The last time this had happened, Hotch had been shot, and Reid had nearly died. None of them wanted that to happen again.

"Put down the gun!" Morgan ordered.

Jacob made no move indicating that he was going to listen, and instead shifted the gun so it was pointing at Reid's head.

_I have to warn you, though. If I haven't, someone else will finish my task for me. And someone will pay the price._

Again, Reid couldn't stop Simon's words from breaking into his thoughts. The circumstances were eerily familiar. Hotch was disarmed, this time unwillingly. The rest of the team had their guns trained in the direction of Reid and the unsub. There was a gun aimed at his head. He was injured. His hands were restrained behind him... He had never fully appreciated until now that Simon had used rope to tie him up. He could do absolutely nothing with handcuffs. This time, it would be entirely up to his team.

The one difference that Reid could be thankful for was that the gun was aimed at him and not one of his other team members. And he oddly hoped it stayed that way. His mind was racing. He didn't want to die, but if the gun was trained on him, then his team members wouldn't get hurt. He had chosen once before to die for them. He'd do it again, too, without a moment's hesitation.

But this was different. This was not Simon. No one was being given a choice of any kind. The unsub was the only one with a choice, and at the moment, it didn't seem like his choice was going to be a good one.

Reid wasn't even paying attention to what was being said between Jacob and his team. He knew he should be, but he couldn't seem to get his mind off of the fact that this whole situation could have been avoided. If he hadn't hesitated in shooting, he wouldn't have gotten shot. Hotch wouldn't have been distracted by helping him. The unsub wouldn't have been able to catch the two of them off guard. He knew there was a slight possibility all this would have happened anyway, but something inside him wouldn't let him believe that.

Reid tried to force his focus away from the guilt he felt and on to what was happening in the room around him. He could tell it pained Hotch to just sit and do nothing. His team, mainly Morgan and Rossi, were trying to talk some sense into Jacob. The increasing pressure of Jacob's grip on him told him that it wasn't working. Reid began to become more worried as he realized the arm wrapped around him was moving, gradually inching its way closer to his neck.

Before he knew it, there was a large amount of pressure on his neck. He could still breathe, but he wasn't getting as much oxygen as he needed. It didn't take long before he started to feel lightheaded. Whereas before he had thought he was going to black out, this time he was sure of it. If Jacob didn't let back soon, he was going to pass out.

As he neared the edge of consciousness, the pressure was suddenly gone. Unable to steady himself, he fell to the floor. He lay on his side, coughing and breathing heavily, and he briefly wondered if he still might pass out. As his breathing began to turn more normal, he finally registered the touch of someone's hands and the voice that was talking to him.

"Just breathe, Reid," Rossi was saying. He was also unlocking the cuffs on his wrists.

Reid immediately tried to sit up as his arms were freed, but he was pushed gently back down.

"Relax, Reid. Lie down. The medics are on their way in."

Reid let Rossi push him back down onto his back. He looked around the room above him, trying to figure out exactly what had happened. Jacob was cuffed and being led out by Morgan. He had surrendered.

As the medic began to look at his bullet wound, Rossi stood up to give her room, but did not wander far. Reid tried to ignore the stings of pain as she poked and prodded the wound. His eyes wandered around the room to find something to distract himself. They found Hotch, who was now unrestrained and valiantly refusing to have his head looked at. Rossi noticed Reid smirking slightly at the sight.

"Yeah, kid, I'll go talk some sense into him," Rossi said before making his way towards Hotch.

Relief washed over Reid as the reality set in that, aside from him being shot, this had ended not so badly. Reid thought it strange that Jacob had surrendered willingly, but he tried not to let that bother him. He knew he should be glad for how this ended instead of thinking of the possible ways that it could have.

Reid was beginning to feel a bit lightheaded and dizzy again. He wasn't entirely worried about it, though. As he started to give in to the darkness that was creeping into the edges of his vision, he realized that in all of the commotion, he had completely forgotten about the second unsub. This had not ended so badly because it was not yet over.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.**

**I appreciate reviews and comments!**

* * *

"What happened, Hotch?" Rossi asked as Hotch approached him in the waiting room. The rest of the team was still at the crime scene.

"I don't know," Hotch answered. "I heard the shots and went to find Reid. He was on the floor, but there was no one else in the room. Jacob snuck up behind me when I was helping Reid. He took my gun, and then he knocked me out."

"Reid's in surgery, but he should be fine," Rossi informed him before he fell silent in thought. "Does it strike you a bit odd that we were able to talk him down?"

"Yes, it does. He refused to talk to you on our phones, and then he seemed pleased when I told him it wasn't going to end well for him. Where is he now?"

"He's being transported to the police station. This is going to be an interesting interrogation."

* * *

"There were two shots, right?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah," Prentiss answered. "They were close together, but I definitely heard two."

"Where's the second one?"

"What do you mean?"

Morgan walked over to where a small pool of Reid's blood was. "Reid was probably standing about here when he was shot. The bullet went through him and into the wall behind him," he said as he pointed to the hole in the wall. "Reid's gun was definitely fired. It would have been in the opposite direction."

Prentiss understood what he was saying. "There isn't any other bullet hole anywhere, and Jacob wasn't hit."

"Right. Something isn't adding up."

* * *

Reid still felt tired, but he sat up in his hospital bed anyway, careful of the sling on his arm. He had woken up not long ago. He didn't remember much after falling to the floor, only glimpses of the ambulance ride and arriving at the hospital, but he knew Jacob had surrendered and that Hotch was okay.

"How are you doing?" Hotch asked as he came into the room.

"Fine," Reid answered as he absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder. "How's your head?"

"Nothing a few stitches couldn't fix. Are you up to telling me what happened?"

Reid nodded before he began. "When I came into the room, the door on the other side was closed. I saw someone moving underneath the door. I was going to wait for you, but he opened the door. I knew it wasn't the unsub, but he had a gun aimed at me... You can probably figure out what happened after that."

"Wait a minute, Reid. What do you mean, it wasn't the unsub?"

In Reid's still somewhat groggy state, he had forgotten that they didn't know about the second unsub. "Jacob wasn't the one who shot me, Hotch. We screwed up on the profile. There's a second unsub."

Hotch sighed. "Hold on a minute. I need to call the team."

Hotch left the room to make the phone call, and Reid waited patiently for him to return. He came back only a few minutes later.

"Morgan said he noticed something wasn't right. They couldn't find your bullet at the crime scene, which means you must have hit him. Garcia is going to search for any hospital records of people recently admitted with gunshot wounds. Do you think you could describe him to a sketch artist?"

"Yeah," Reid nodded.

"Rossi's on his way to interrogate Jacob. Maybe he'll be able to get something out of him." Hotch watched Reid carefully for a few minutes. He still saw the guilt in his eyes. "Do you want to tell me what's bugging you?" Hotch finally asked.

Reid was not all together surprised by Hotch's question. He probably would have been more surprised if Hotch hadn't said anything. "I, uh... It was my fault."

"What was?" Hotch asked as his curiosity grew.

"The whole thing. I should have taken the shot sooner."

"Reid, these things happen. Sometimes they're just unavoidable. Don't start second guessing yourself."

"I'm not, Hotch. I know I could have taken the shot sooner. The second unsub wouldn't have gotten away, and we wouldn't have been distracted... I hesitated..."

"What made you hesitate?" Hotch didn't want to blame Reid for anything. Most likely, Reid had done nothing wrong, but he still wanted to hear what he had to say.

"Simon."

That had been the last thing Hotch expected to hear out of Reid's mouth. He didn't deny that he still thought about what both Simon and Reid did, but he thought that case was in their past. He thought Reid had gotten past that as well, but apparently he was wrong.

"Simon? I thought we've been through this, Reid. What is it about him that made you hesitate?"

"Something he said to me."

"Reid, is there something you didn't tell us? What could he have said that didn't get to you until now?"

"He didn't exactly say it." Reid stared down at his bed as a feeling of shame washed over him. He had not told anyone about the letter he had received from Simon. He now realized what a stupid mistake that was.

"What are you talking about?"

Reid took a deep breath before he began. "After I got home from the hospital, there was an envelope sitting on my coffee table. It was from Simon. He made sure it would have gotten to me."

"Why didn't you tell me? What did it say?"

"I didn't think it mattered," Reid answered honestly. "Simon was dead."

Hotch listened intently as Reid recited the letter from memory. "You should have told me about this, Reid."

"I know. I'm sorry I didn't. I didn't think it would bother me. And it hasn't... not until today."

Hotch was silent, and that only made Reid feel more nervous and more guilty. Finally, Hotch broke the silence. "Look, Reid, I understand your reasoning for not telling me, but I need you to promise me you won't do something like that again."

"I won't," Reid promised.

"Good."

Reid desperately wanted to change the subject. "Why did Jacob give up?" he asked.

"He might have been covering for his partner," Hotch suggested. "That's probably why he took the time to create a hostage situation. He was giving him a chance to escape. Did you see where he went?"

"No. I didn't even realize he wasn't in the room until Jacob sent everyone out of the house."

"We'll find him, Reid. You just focus on getting better."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.**

**I appreciate reviews and comments!**

* * *

Reid pulled back the curtain covering his bedroom window. He quickly spotted the unmarked police car with his assigned officer sitting in it. He had objected to the protection, but he knew it was for his own good. Plus, his team wouldn't be able to concentrate on finding the second unsub if they were too worried about him. They had had no luck in their searches so far, and Jacob had refused to give anything to them, not even willing to admit he even had a partner. They didn't even have a name for the second man either. They only had a rough sketch of Reid's description, which was now plastered all over the news. Still, no luck.

The officer had been assigned to sit outside Reid's building as a precaution. Since Reid had seen the man who shot him, there was a chance he might come back for him to eliminate any witness. The likelihood was slim, though. Jacob had given him a chance to escape, and to come back would create a big risk of being caught. Hotch had even offered for one of the team members to stay with Reid as well, but he refused. He already felt guilty enough. He didn't want them to be another agent down on working to find the second unsub because of him.

It was later in the evening now. Reid had been released from the hospital in the early afternoon, and he was having a hard time finding something to occupy himself with. All he could think about was the case, trying to figure out where they had gone wrong in the profile. He had been strictly told to keep his mind off the case, but he was sure Hotch knew that he wouldn't be able to, especially since he was stuck in his apartment with not much else to do.

Though it was early, he decided to go to bed. He was tired, and as much as he wanted to focus on the case, he knew he needed to rest. He got onto his bed and didn't bother to take the sling off of his arm. His gun was on his bedside table, within reach if he needed it. Even with all that was on his mind, he quickly fell asleep.

When he woke again, it was completely dark out. He shifted to get more comfortable in bed, but realized he was extremely thirsty. Forcing himself to move, he got up and slowly made his way to the kitchen. Sleepily, he stared at the wall as he finished his glass of water. His mind began to wander, and of course, the first memory that came to mind was of the night Simon had kidnapped him. He had been getting a glass of water, much like he was now, when he had heard someone in his apartment.

A creak behind him made him snap out of his thoughts. He was on full alert as he turned around with the worrying realization that he didn't have his gun with him, but no one was there. He figured he had only imaged the sound since he was thinking back to what had happened before. Frustrated, he set his glass down and walked back towards the bedroom. Thanks to Simon, his mind was beginning to play tricks on him.

Shock filled him as his head suddenly met the wall, and he fell to the floor, dazed. Pain flared up in his shoulder as he landed on his side. He briefly wondered if he had tripped and hit his head, but that thought quickly vanished as he realized someone was near him. He tried to move, but he froze as he saw a familiar gun being pointed directed at his chest. He obviously hadn't been imagining things when he heard the creaking noise. Thanks to Simon, he had thought his mind was beginning to play tricks on him when clearly it wasn't.

_Whether it be you, Agent Hotchner, or someone else on your team, it will happen in the end. It's the risk of your job._

He waited, trying to focus his vision and calm his breathing. He was sure that he was taking the very last breaths that he'd ever take. Any second now, the gun would go off, and it would be over. Simon's words would come true.

* * *

"Hotch, Reid isn't answering his phone," Morgan commented as the worry inside him grew.

"He's probably resting. I'm sure he needs it." It was still the middle of the morning, so Hotch knew it was likely that Reid was still asleep.

Morgan nodded in agreement, but the worry still wouldn't go away. He picked his phone back up and dialed the number each of the team members had been given. As the phone kept ringing, he knew something was wrong.

"Reid's officer isn't answering either."

That statement caused Hotch to begin to worry, too. He looked at Morgan. They both knew that meant nothing good. "Let's go. Keep trying to reach both of them on the way."

Morgan kept trying the entire drive to Reid's apartment, but neither Reid nor the officer answered. Hotch pulled up and parked behind the officer's car. They immediately drew their weapons, and Hotch ran to the driver's side. He looked inside but quickly looked away and up at Morgan.

"His throat's been slit."

Without another word, they ran up to the apartment building. When they got to Reid's apartment, they found the door slightly ajar. They pushed it open and quickly searched the quiet apartment.

"He's not here," Morgan declared as he exited Reid's empty bedroom.

"Call the rest of the team," Hotch responded. "We need to find him."

"He got to him, didn't he?" Morgan asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"There aren't any signs of a struggle, but if he wanted Reid dead, he would have killed him and left him here."

"Which means he's still alive," Morgan breathed a sigh of relief at that small fact of hope. "So, why did he take him then? What does he gain?"

"Leverage," Hotch answered. "He's going to want a trade. Reid for his partner."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I OBVIOUSLY do not own Criminal Minds or its characters. If I did, nobody would be able to even THINK of the possibility of cutting ANY characters!**

**Grrr! (That's my scary growl. Fear me, CBS!)**

**Okay... back to my story. I appreciate reviews and comments!**

* * *

Reid slowly woke, unsure of his surroundings. It took him a moment to work past the throbbing in his head and remember what had happened. The man had not shot him like he had expected him to. Instead, he had knocked Reid out with the butt of his gun. Reid was now sure that the first blow of his head to the wall was intended to knock him out, but unfortunately for him, it hadn't, earning him a second one.

It seemed like too many times recently that he had been in this position. It was almost ridiculous. He was lying on his side, and his arms were tied behind him. He could tell by the roughness around his wrists that it was rope. That gave him a glimmer of hope that he might be able to work the bonds loose, but first he wanted to figure out where he was. He was sure he was in a moving vehicle, but it didn't feel like he was in a trunk where he would have expected to be. He soon realized that the reason he couldn't see anything was because there was a blanket of some sort lying over top of him. He must be lying in the back seat of a car, he reasoned.

He was obviously not alone, since the car was moving. He could only assume that the second unsub was the one who was driving. He ventured enough to move the blanket away, which was a bit difficult with no arms. He managed to pull it away from his face by using his feet. The light that met his eyes surprised him. He didn't know what time he had woken up at during the night, so it had either been close to morning, or he had been unconscious for quite awhile.

His head was on the passenger's side of the vehicle, and his knees were bent to accommodate for his height. He guessed that he was covered with the blanket so no one would be able to look in and see him there. His kidnapper must have some form of humanity left in him since he didn't just put him in the trunk instead.

He looked towards the driver. He could only see the side of his face, but Reid was sure it was the man who had shot him, the second unsub. By the looks of it, he had not yet noticed Reid was awake. His eyes were fixed on the road before him, nervously glancing around. Reid could only see trees outside the window, so he wasn't sure if they were still in the city or not. He discretely tried to work the rope around his wrists loose, but stopped as the unsub noticed he was awake.

"You can sit up now if you want."

Reid was glad he was granted permission to do so. He didn't want to do anything that might get the man angry. He'd have to be careful until he knew more about him. They had never been able to figure out where they had missed the possibility of a second unsub, so they had no profile of him either.

Reid carefully tried to sit up. It wasn't until now that he had noticed the ache in his shoulder. He had been lying on it for however long he'd been in the car, not to mention the added strain from his arms being behind his back. He was finally able to position himself in a reasonable sitting position on the passenger's side. He couldn't lean all the way back because of his arms, and he rested his head against the window to let the temporary dizziness pass.

He opened his eyes and looked out the window. They were definitely somewhere out in the country, but he hoped they weren't too far from the city limits. He knew the man had to have taken him for a reason, though he couldn't think of why he hadn't just killed him on the spot.

He sat up straight and looked at the man driving again. He seemed to be sweating slightly. Reid knew it wasn't because he was nervous, though. He could the makeshift bandage just under the sleeve of his t-shirt. Reid's bullet must have hit him in the arm, and according to Morgan, it hadn't gone all the way through. He knew the man was smart enough not to see a doctor. He would have been caught then. But he didn't know if he was smart enough to know the bullet needed to be removed. Either way, Reid was sure the wound had not properly been taken care of. An infection would account for the sweating and probable start of a fever.

"What's your name?" Reid finally dared to ask.

The man was silent for a moment before he answered. "Christopher."

Christopher was obviously not the dominate partner in the relationship, which was confusing to Reid. Normally, the dominate one would not care what happened to the submissive one. There had to be a special relationship between the two for Jacob to let himself get caught in order to give Christopher a chance to escape.

"You can call me Chris."

His voice was more timid than Reid would have expected after watching Chris not hesitate to shoot him and then later kidnap him. It made him wonder if Chris had been instructed to do this by Jacob, or if he was doing this on his own.

"Where are we going, Chris?" Reid asked.

"We're almost there."

Chris made no further comment, and a couple of minutes later, they arrived at a small farmhouse. As the car stopped, and Chris got out, Reid quickly tried to work at his bonds. He had no success by the time the door next to him was opened.

"Get out."

Chris seemed to gain more confidence with a gun placed in his hand. Reid obeyed and was ushered at gunpoint towards the house. The yard looked unkempt, like no one had lived there for years, and the inside was much the same. Reid could tell this was where Chris had to be staying since his escape.

"Why did you bring me here?" Reid asked when he felt it was safe enough to speak.

"You're going to help me get my brother back."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.**

**I appreciate reviews and comments!**

* * *

"Jacob is your brother?" Reid asked, unable to hold his surprise back. There had been no record of a brother that he knew of.

A small nod from Chris answered his question. He led him towards the back of the house to a living room area, Reid taking note of every little detail along the way. Chris waved the gun in a motion towards one of the couches, and Reid took it as a sign to sit.

Reid didn't want to ask too many questions, but curiosity was starting to get the best of him. "How exactly am I supposed to help you get him back?"

Chris didn't answer him, so he tried again. "Did Jacob ask you to do this?"

Again, Chris didn't answer. He reached up and wiped the sweat from his brow. Reid used this as a starting point to try to talk Chris out of whatever he was planning.

"You need to see a doctor, Chris."

"Aren't you a doctor?" Chris asked a bit too hopefully. He must have seen Reid's title somewhere and came to the same wrong conclusion that many people have made before.

"Not that kind, Chris," Reid responded. "You need to have the bullet wound looked at by a medical doctor."

Chris shook his head. "No. I can't. They'll catch me, then."

"Let me take you in. If you come willingly, it will be so much easier on you. I know you didn't kill any of those women." Reid was going out on a bit of a limb by saying this, but judging from what he saw in Chris and the fact that they hadn't even known about him, he was certain that he was right. "Jacob was the one who did it, right? You can't be blamed for that. You haven't killed anyone. You can stop this before it's too late."

Chris's eyes shifted as they looked away from Reid. "It's already too late."

* * *

"The knife wounds on the officer's throat tells us that he's inexperienced," Hotch began as they gathered in the conference room. "It also tells us that Jacob was the one who killed the women. Those were quick, clean cuts. This was slow and hesitant."

"Probably his first kill," Rossi added.

"Was there a need to kill the officer?" Prentiss asked. "By the looks of it, he didn't want to kill him, but he might have been able to get to Reid without doing it."

"He's scared of getting caught. He doesn't want to take any chances, even if it means he has to kill."

"If he wants us to release his partner, why hasn't he contacted us yet?" JJ asked.

"Again, inexperience," Hotch answered. "If Jacob has done the killing, then he's most likely the dominate one."

"So, why is the submissive one suddenly taking control and killing and kidnapping?" Morgan asked. "I know he doesn't have Jacob to give him orders anymore, but that's a big jump to take."

"Well, maybe that's it," Prentiss suggested. "Maybe Jacob ordered him to do this."

"How would he do that? He hasn't had any contact with him since we took Jacob into custody."

"I think he did it before we had Jacob in custody," Hotch said. "Jacob might have told him what to do in case they were caught, but I think it's more likely that he said it just before he let him escape. The second unsub shot Reid and was gone before I got to the room. Jacob could have ordered him what to do before he snuck up on me and took us hostage."

"Why didn't the both of them just run?" JJ asked.

"We would have caught them. Jacob knew the rest of you would be coming up, so he created the hostage situation to distract us and let his partner escape."

Rossi nodded in agreement. "That's why he's determined not to give us anything. He's distracting us further by attracting our attention to trying to get him to talk."

"He's just waiting it out while his partner does the work," Morgan commented.

"We have no leads on who the partner is or where he's keeping Reid, so we're going to have to wait until he contacts us."

* * *

Reid was unsure what Chris meant, but he didn't like the way he said it. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to willingly back down, so Reid decided to try a different tactic.

"If you want to get your brother back, you're going to have to call my team." If he couldn't talk Chris down, he could at least try to help his team find the two of them. If they were able to keep Chris talking long enough, Reid had no doubt that Garcia would be able to trace their location.

"I know," Chris replied quietly.

"The sooner you talk to them, the sooner you can get him back."

After a few minutes of silence, Chris finally asked for a number to call, and Reid waited while he dialed.

"This is Agent Hotchner," Reid could hear coming through the speaker. "Who is this?"

Chris ignored his question. "I-I want Jacob back."

"I can't just give him to you. I can't let a murderer run free."

"You give him back, or I'll kill your agent!"

Reid was surprised by Chris's sudden burst of confidence. It was amazing what sheer determination could do.

"No, you won't," Hotch replied calmly. "I know you don't want to kill him. It's not in you to kill people."

"I've done it before! Or did you forget about the guy outside your agent's apartment? I'll do it again if you don't do what I say!"

Reid's heart sank as he heard this. He hadn't even thought of the officer that had been stationed outside his apartment, but he hadn't exactly had a reason to. He was more concerned with his own predicament.

"If you kill him, then you'll never get Jacob. You know that."

"No! You will release him! You have two hours, or your agent is dead!"

Chris hung up the phone, and Reid could only hope it had been long enough for Garcia to trace the call. He knew this wasn't like Simon. Simon had been smart enough to figure out a way to block the trace, but Chris was obviously not. He may not be entirely smart, but Reid knew he was still dangerous. He had already shot him once, so Reid had no doubt that he would do it again, especially after hearing that Chris had killed the officer. He was obviously willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.**

**I appreciate reviews and comments!**

* * *

Chris had gone back to being quiet and nervous. He seemed to be waiting as anxiously as Reid was, though Reid didn't show it. If his team had been able to trace the call, Reid wasn't sure how long it would take before they got here. He had been unconscious for most of the drive and really had no idea where they were.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he heard what sounded like vehicles driving down the road. He breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still admittedly worried how Chris would react when he heard it, too.

Chris looked up as the sound finally reached his ears. He got up and looked through the hallway, where Reid knew he could see out through the window at the other end. He stared for a moment before a flash of worry, then anger, came across his face, and he turned towards Reid.

"You knew!" he accused threateningly. "You knew they were coming!"

Reid couldn't deny that, but before he could answer, Chris had crossed the room and was standing in front of the couch where he was sitting. He was not scared of Chris. Without a gun in his hand, Chris had a meager amount of confidence. But he did have a gun, and he was unceremoniously waving it around, so Reid felt uneasy.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" Chris spoke more to himself than he did to Reid. "I screwed up... I can't do this!"

Chris was clearly frustrated as it was apparently more than he could handle. Reid finally spoke up. "Chris, it would be better if you just put the gun down and gave up."

"No, no, no!" Chris yelled as his frustration turned back to anger. "This is your fault! You tricked me! You knew this would happen!"

The gun was now being pointed directly at Reid's chest.

"Chris, you don't need to do this."

"Y-yes, I do." Chris was now seemingly scared, and Reid saw his confidence faltering. "I need to... J-Jacob said..."

"You don't have to listen to him. I know you don't want to do this."

Chris shook his head as Reid saw his finger begin to tighten around the trigger. "I-I'm sorry..."

_Someone will finish my task for me. And someone will pay the price._

Reid visibly jumped as he heard the gunshot. He expected to feel immense pain erupt in his chest, but he felt nothing. His automatic reaction was to scrunch his eyes shut at the sound of the shot, so he opened them to figure out why that didn't happen. Chris was lying on the ground with his eyes open and unseeing.

"Reid."

Reid stared down at Chris, still in shock.

"Reid!"

He finally looked at Hotch, who was kneeling in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Hotch asked.

Reid slowly nodded. "Yeah."

Hotch got up after finally getting a response from Reid. He sat on the couch next to him, and Reid leaned forward while he removed the rope from his wrists.

"Why don't we get him out of here," Rossi suggested as he noticed Reid still staring at Chris's body.

Reid absentmindedly followed as he was led out of the house. He knew the rest of the team was there, but he did not pay attention to them. Hotch told him to sit down on the steps outside. His mind didn't seem to register Hotch's request, but his body did and obeyed the order.

"Did he hurt you at all Reid?" Hotch asked.

Reid shook his head.

"That bruise on your face says otherwise. And your shoulder is bleeding."

Reid's hand traveled to his shoulder where he now saw a small amount of blood on his shirt. He hadn't even realized that somewhere along the line, he must have torn his stitches. "I'm fine," he responded.

"The ambulance should be here in a minute," Rossi said.

"I don't need to go to the hospital," Reid protested as he realized he had only just been released from there yesterday. "I'm fine."

"Why don't you humor us, kid."

"Besides, it's protocol, Reid," Hotch added.

Reid either didn't care anymore or didn't have the energy to argue, because he became quiet again. Hotch and Rossi glanced at each other knowingly. Reid still seemed to slightly be in shock, but it wasn't surprising. They had come in just as Chris was about to pull the trigger. Hotch barely had time to think before he had pulled his own.

"I don't know how Jacob is going to react to this," Morgan commented as he came out of the house.

"Not good."

Hotch looked at Reid, a bit surprised to hear him speak. He had hardly seemed to be listening to what they were saying before. "Why's that?"

"He's his brother."

"He doesn't have a brother," Morgan said.

"His name is Christopher. He said Jacob was his brother."

"Morgan, call Garcia and have her look through everything again. We missed something along the way."

Morgan nodded and did as he was told just as the ambulance pulled up to the house. Hotch and Rossi moved out of the way to allow the medics to take a look at Reid. They watched as Reid answered the questions without really paying complete attention.

Reid was led to the back of the ambulance, where he sat down on the gurney. His shirt was removed so the medic could look at his shoulder. The medic failed to hide the shock on his face as he saw the scars on Reid's stomach that Simon had left behind. It had been a constant reminder to Reid what had happened, and he always avoided looking in the mirror in the bathroom after showers for that reason.

He was glad none of his team had followed him to the ambulance. They knew Simon had to have had an effect on Reid, but probably never thought of the physical scars Simon had left behind. He had a hard enough time looking at them himself; it was something the rest of them just didn't need to see.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.**

**I appreciate reviews and comments!**

* * *

Hotch and Reid left the hospital, Reid having just been checked out and released. The stitches in his shoulder were redone, and his head was looked at before he was cleared to leave. Hotch was giving him a ride home before heading to the police station to interrogate Jacob. They got into Hotch's vehicle and drove in silence for a few minutes before Hotch spoke.

"Are you okay, Reid?" he asked. Reid was staring out the window, but looked over at Hotch when he spoke. It seemed like some of the shock had worn off, but Hotch was still worried about him.

"I'm fine," Reid answered.

"Reid, I can tell you aren't." Hotch paused. "He almost killed you."

Reid didn't comment right away. "It's not that." He continued when Hotch didn't seem to believe him. "It's not the first time I've nearly died, Hotch."

"That doesn't mean it's not going to affect you."

"I know. It probably will in time... It took quite a while for it to hit me after..." Reid searched for the right words without actually outright saying it. "...after what Simon forced me to do." Reid looked back out the window, not feeling up to meeting Hotch's concerned gaze.

"You never really talked much about that to any of us. I know you didn't want to, but it's never too late," Hotch encouraged. Reid had obviously had to talk about it to a therapist to pass his psych evaluation in order to return to work, but he never really said anything about it to Hotch or anyone else on the team. They respected his wishes to try not to let his actions change the way they treated him. But when Reid had first returned to work, Hotch had still kept a close eye on him and was sure that hadn't gone unnoticed by Reid.

"I just..." Reid began slowly. "I know death is the risk of our job, but I've never really thought about it as much as I have since Simon... I was supposed to die."

"No, you weren't, Reid. And you're not the only one who's had close calls in this job."

"But I chose it."

"Simon chose it, not you. He forced you to make the decision while already knowing what you would do."

"...I'm sorry."

"For what?" Hotch asked.

"This whole thing," Reid answered. "I'm sure you guys are tired of worrying about me."

"We've been through this, Reid. It's not your fault. We're all just glad that you're okay."

"Thanks," Reid replied, glad that the conversation was over. But apparently, Hotch knew better.

"So, what is it then?" he asked.

"What?"

"You said that wasn't it. What's bothering you?"

Reid shrugged. "I guess it's Chris. I know he was about to shoot me, but he didn't want to do it. I think Jacob ordered him to kill me if his plan didn't work. Jacob had to have known Chris might not be able to pull it off. The thought never even crossed his mind that you guys might be able to trace the call."

"What are you getting at?"

"I don't know," Reid admitted. "It just doesn't feel right. I just feel like it isn't over yet."

"Well, the case will be over soon. We just need to get Jacob to give a confession, and we might be able to do that once he knows that there's no chance of his partner getting him out."

"I want to watch the interrogation."

Hotch sighed. "Reid, you need to go home at get some rest. We'll let you know how it goes."

"I promise I'll leave once it's over."

Hotch was silent for a moment. "Fine, but you aren't going to be in the room at all since you're not on duty."

Reid nodded in understanding as Hotch now headed towards the police station. It wasn't long before they pulled up and got out. The rest of the team was waiting in the viewing room, watching Jacob sitting by himself at the table in the next room. No one questioned Reid's presence as he followed Hotch into the room.

"No one has told him?" Hotch asked.

"No," Rossi answered. "He still has no idea that his only chance of freedom is dead."

Garcia came into the room then, and handed Hotch a file. "Sir, I think I found out who the second unsub is. His name is Christopher Reynolds. We never tagged him before this because he's only Jacob's half brother. His father had an affair and got another woman pregnant, but the baby was kept by the mother. I'm still not sure how or when they found out about each other, though."

"Thanks, Garcia," Hotch replied as he took a look at the file.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Rossi asked.

"I think you and I will talk to him," Hotch answered.

As they continued talking, Reid was closely watching Jacob through the window. His hands were cuffed in front of him, and he was looking around the room as if he was not sitting in an interrogation room, accused of murder. He was too confident for Reid's liking. He didn't know what it was, but he still felt like this wasn't over yet, despite the fact that one unsub was dead and the other was in custody. He had a feeling that he would feel that way until Jacob confessed to everything and was locked safely away in a prison.

He felt bad for Chris. Jacob was the one that was doing the killing, but Chris was the one that ended up dead. That was one of the things that bugged him about these types of criminals. They took naïve, innocent people and drew them into their world of crime, most of them too incompetent to know any better. They were usually the easy ones to talk down in the end, though, just like they were easy to manipulate into it.

As he watched Jacob, he suddenly saw a flash of Chris's body in his mind. It was Jacob's fault that Chris was dead. Everything Jacob had forced him to do had led up to his death. Reid couldn't shake the image from his mind, but a hand on his shoulder helped bring him out of his thoughts.

"You okay, kid?" Morgan asked.

"I'm fine," Reid lied. As he looked around the room, he noticed that Hotch and Rossi had left, which meant they'd be appearing in the interrogation room any second. He forced his mind to focus on the man on the other side of the window instead of the worried feeling that was slowly building inside him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.**

**I appreciate reviews and comments!**

* * *

Hotch followed Rossi into the interrogation room. He set the file he had with him down on the table in front of him and sat down next to Rossi in the seat across from Jacob.

"Well, this must be serious business," Jacob said brazenly as they sat down. "Not one, but two feds."

Rossi ignored his comment. "Tell me something. Did you enjoy bossing him around?"

"I don't know who you're talking about," was Jacob's immediate reply.

"Yes, you do," Rossi corrected. "There's no use in lying anymore. We know about your brother."

"The game is over, Jacob," Hotch added. "There's no way you're getting out of here, so there's no reason to keep up this charade. Christopher failed in his attempt to get you out."

Jacob didn't seem to be fazed by this. "So what if you have him in custody. He's not going to tell you anything," he replied confidently.

"No, he's not," Rossi readily agreed. "It's a bit difficult to talk when you're lying on a slab in the morgue."

The profilers watched intently as Jacob showed no emotion on his face. "He's dead?" he simply asked.

Hotch pulled a photo out from the file as proof and placed it on the table in front of them. They knew Jacob wouldn't believe them unless he saw it himself. Jacob looked down at the picture of Christopher's body, clearly trying to hide any emotion he may be feeling.

"I don't care," Jacob replied as he tore his eyes away from the photo. "He means nothing to me."

"Really?" Hotch asked. "Is that why you took me and another agent hostage, so he could escape? If you didn't care about him, you wouldn't have gone through all that effort. You would have fled when you had the chance. Now you're going to prison, and he's dead because of you."

"You guys are the ones that killed him, not me."

"By your orders, he was about to kill my agent. I was only doing my job."

Jacob stared at Hotch with cold eyes, but a moment later, it passed. "Well, I was only doing mine."

Jacob either meant he was doing his job by killing the women or by supposedly taking care of his brother. Hotch wasn't sure which, but before he could ask, Jacob spoke again.

"I want to talk to him."

"Who?" Hotch asked, but he knew he could only be talking about Reid.

"Your agent," Jacob answered. "You know which one. You can't tell me that he's not here with you."

"He's not," Hotch lied simply, knowing full well that Reid was standing just on the other side of the glass behind him.

"That's too bad then."

"Why's that?"

"What you want to know, I'll only tell to him."

This was not something Hotch wanted to hear right now. In a way, he'd rather have Jacob refuse to say anything at all than have Jacob ask to talk to Reid. Reid agreeing to it wasn't the problem, Hotch knew he would, but he didn't understand why Jacob would want to speak to Reid specifically. Rossi seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Why do you want to talk to him?" Rossi asked.

"I have my reasons."

Hotch knew there was no way around it. Jacob would only tell Reid what they needed to know and no one else. He had said before that Reid could come along as long as he stayed out of the interrogation room and left when they were finished, but now it looked like he was going to have to go against his own order. He now wished he hadn't agreed to let Reid come here. If Reid hadn't been listening to the conversation in the next room, Hotch might have tried harder to get a confession without having to use him. But, since Reid knew, he would want to talk to Jacob. There wouldn't be an easy way to talk Reid against speaking to him.

"Well, if you want to talk to him," Hotch began slowly in silent defeat, "then you're going to have to tell us your reasons first."

Jacob was silent for a moment, contemplating his options. "I'd like to know if my brother said anything to him," he finally answered, "before you murdered him." He glared at Hotch.

"Is that it?" Rossi asked.

"Yes."

"We're not promising anything, but we'll see what we can do," Hotch told Jacob. "We have to get a hold of him first."

"Right," Jacob replied cynically. "When you're done discussing it with him in the next room, I'll be waiting right here."

Hotch didn't respond to his comment, but gathered the file and photo and left the room with Rossi close behind him.

"Are you sure we want to do this," Rossi asked as soon as he closed the door behind them.

"We really don't have any other choice," Hotch answered. "He's not going to tell us anything otherwise."

They headed towards the next room where the rest of the team was expectantly waiting. Hotch noticed Reid still looking through the glass at Jacob. "You don't have to talk to him, Reid, if you don't want to," he said.

Reid finally turned away from the window. "No. It's fine, Hotch. If it gets us a confession, I'll talk to him."

"Did Christopher say anything to you that Jacob might want to know about?" Morgan asked Reid.

"No. Nothing that I can think of," Reid answered. "To be honest, he hardly said anything at all."

"Well, it shouldn't be too much of a problem then," Morgan commented. "Just tell him he didn't say anything to you, and he should tell us what we need to know."

"Somehow, I don't think it's going to be that easy," Reid replied as he glanced back towards the window. Jacob was staring at it, seemingly looking right at them. "Let's get this over with," Reid said as he began to head for the door.

"I'm going in there with you, Reid," Hotch stopped him.

"I can handle myself. I'll be fine, Hotch."

"No, that's a good idea, Reid," Rossi agreed. "I'm not sure that's his only reason for wanting to talk to you."

"Will he even talk if you're there with me?" Reid asked Hotch.

"I'm not sure," Hotch answered. "Let's go find out."

Reid followed Hotch back out into the hall. "Uh, Hotch," he called before they reached the door to the interrogation room.

Hotch stopped and turned around. "What?"

"Not that I'm not willing to do this, but I don't like it."

"What do you mean?" Hotch asked.

"I just can't get rid of this feeling... Jacob seems too calm after learning that his brother is dead."

"Yeah," Hotch agreed. "It'll be fine, Reid. Hopefully, he'll give us a confession after he talks to you."

Reid nodded and began to walk towards the door again.

"And Reid," Hotch added, stopping him once again. "Just because I'm allowing this, doesn't mean I like it either."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.**

**I appreciate reviews and comments! Probably only one more chapter after this one.**

* * *

As Hotch and Reid entered the room, Jacob immediately glanced towards Hotch.

"If you want to talk to him, you get me, too," Hotch said firmly. This time, Hotch chose to stand against the wall, while Reid sat at the table in front of Jacob.

"I figured as much," Jacob muttered.

"You-you said you wanted to know if Chris said anything to me," Reid began as he tried to hide his nerves. He had never been good with interrogations, and his uneasy feeling didn't help matters any. "He didn't."

Jacob stared at Reid with a questioning look. "Why did you call him Chris?" he asked.

Reid was caught a bit off guard by his question, but answered him. "He, uh, told me to call him that... Why?"

"He didn't let many people call him that," Jacob answered. "He must have liked you."

"Not enough to disobey your order to kill me."

"I never ordered him to do anything."

"That's not what he said to me."

"I only asked. It was his choice to follow."

"I don't believe that," Reid responded, growing a bit more confident. "You knew he looked up to you, probably as the older brother he never knew he had. He would do anything you asked. You saw that, and you used him... I bet you didn't expect to begin to care for him."

"You don't know anything, agent," Jacob responded, though Reid knew he had hit the mark dead on. Jacob's eyes moved away from Reid's. "I see Chris is not the only one that has left a mark on you."

His statement confused Reid until he followed Jacob's gaze to his arm. Reid shifted uncomfortably and folded his arms in front of him. Jacob was referring to the scar Simon had left on his arm, one of the many on his body. Reid had lately took to avoiding wearing short sleeved shirts as much as he could, but it had been the only extra one he had left in his bag. The scar was mostly covered by his sleeve, and no one could really see it unless they were looking for it, but Jacob had obviously been observing Reid closely during the short amount of time since he had entered the room.

Suddenly, Reid's discomfort turned more towards annoyance than anything else. He was starting to become tired of how much Simon was affecting this case. The man was long dead, yet was undoubtedly still causing him torment.

"I know a lot of things, Jacob," Reid finally said as he pushed past Jacob's statement. "I know you killed those women, I know you forced your brother to help, and I know you forced him to kidnap me in an effort to get you out. I told you Chris didn't say anything to me, and there's no way you're going to be able to just walk out of here on your own, so why don't you make it easier for everyone, you included, and admit to what you did to those women and how you forced Chris to take part."

Jacob only let out a laugh in response and looked up over at Hotch. "The little one here's got a little bite in him when you get him worked up."

Hotch took a couple of steps forward. "This 'little one' is a federal agent, and if you insult him, you insult the rest of us. That's probably something you might want to think twice about before doing."

Reid was slightly shocked at Hotch's threat. But Jacob's insult hadn't really bothered him; he had been called much worse than that before.

"Am I supposed to be scared of you?" Jacob asked Hotch. "Because you killed my brother?"

"No. You're supposed to hold to your end of the bargain. We let you talk to Agent Reid, now tell us what you promised."

"Why should I? I believe the both of you shot my brother," Jacob responded as he glanced between Hotch and Reid. "I owe you nothing."

"What's the real reason you wanted to talk to me?" Reid asked.

Jacob met his glare. "I guess I just find you interesting, Agent... Reid," Jacob replied as he recalled Hotch's use of Reid's name.

"You have hardly even been around me. How can I be interesting to you?" Reid asked carefully.

"It doesn't take long to see that you don't seem to fit type of the FBI."

"So, you find it difficult to talk to people of with an air of authority?" Reid asked boldly, referring to Hotch and Rossi. "You choose to demean those who you deem to be lesser or weaker people whenever you get the chance, like I'm sure you did with Chris, with those women, and what you just did with me."

"Agent Reid is in the FBI because he's not weak," Hotch chimed in, taking another step forward. "Appearances aren't everything, just like this little façade you've been putting on. You look strong and confident on the outside, but on the inside, you're just as weak as you think everyone else is. I suggest you stop this little game of yours now and give us the information we want."

Jacob looked up and stared at Hotch. "You're going to regret killing my brother." He abruptly turned back to Reid before Hotch could respond to the threatening comment. "Alright. I killed those women."

"I need the details," Reid ordered. "Why did you do it?"

And just like that, Jacob was giving Reid every detail of his murders. The planning, the acts, the disposing, and how Chris was involved. It unnerved Reid how Jacob not even once looked at Hotch throughout, specifically looking directly at Reid and never wavering as he gave every detail he could remember.

As soon as Jacob was finished, Reid got up to leave, and Hotch followed him out. They went back into the next room where the others were waiting.

"Well, that was interesting," Rossi commented.

Hotch nodded. "Yeah. You did well, Reid."

Reid didn't respond to Hotch's compliment. He suddenly turned and left the room. Hotch watched him go before speaking again. "JJ, go let the officer know he can escort Jacob back to his cell. I'm going to go talk to Reid." He left the room, followed by JJ.

"What was that about?" Morgan asked as they stared at the empty doorway.

"Do you think Jacob's comments got to Reid?" Prentiss asked.

"I'd be more surprised they hadn't," Rossi answered. "After all that's happened with this case, I think he'll be in need of a long break."

"The kid has been through enough trouble lately to last him an entire lifetime," Morgan joked dryly.

Behind the three agents, the officer entered the interrogation room.

"Hotch told me he blames himself for that first hostage situation," Rossi informed the two of them.

"Why?" Morgan asked.

The officer approached Jacob.

"The circumstances he was in apparently brought up memories of Simon."

Jacob stood, his wrists still cuffed in front of him.

"Damn. When is that man ever going to just leave us all alone?"

Jacob intently watched every movement the officer made as they made to exit the room.

"Probably never. At least, not any time soon."

The officer reached to open the door, allowing Jacob the exact opportunity he had been waiting for.

Prentiss nodded in agreement. "Let's just be glad this case is finally over."

Jacob swung his elbow back as hard and fast as he could into the face of the officer.

The sudden commotion in the room behind them caused the agents to turn around. They were met with the sight of the officer on the ground, blood flowing from his nose and looking dazed. Jacob was bending over him, presumably in search of the officer's gun. The agents didn't wait to see if he found it before they bolted for the door, drawing their own weapons as they went.

Just as they entered the hallway, a gunshot went off.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.**

**I appreciate reviews and comments! Last chapter!**

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Hotch exited the room and looked to see where Reid had gone to, almost debating whether he should just leave him be for now, but something was telling him to take the opportunity to talk to him now. He quickly spotted Reid across the mostly empty station. He was standing near one of the windows, his gaze caught by something outside. Hotch slowly approached him from behind.

"That feeling of yours gone yet?" Hotch asked.

"...No."

"I meant what I said in there, Reid. You are strong, and I hope you don't let what he said get to you."

"I've been called worse than that, Hotch," Reid replied as he finally turned around.

"I think we all have, but that's not entirely what I meant."

Reid's eyes traveled behind Hotch to where JJ was speaking to an officer. "I know."

"I have them, too, Reid."

"What?" he asked, looking back towards Hotch.

"Scars."

"I know," Reid repeated as the officer went into the interrogation room, and JJ went off in another direction. "I just have the feeling this is going to be one of those cases that's hard to forget."

Hotch nodded. "I'm proud of you, Reid. You handled the interrogation really well, despite everything he said to you."

Reid smiled shyly up at Hotch. "I learn from the best."

Hotch returned Reid's smile before turning to walk away. Reid watched him, but a movement in the doorway of the interrogation room caught his eye. The instant he looked, he knew something wasn't right. He didn't see the officer who should be escorting Jacob. Jacob appeared in the doorway alone. As he raised his still cuffed arms in front of him, Reid's gut wrenched as he realized there was a gun placed in his hands. Jacob had somehow gotten a hold of the officer's gun and was now pointing it towards Hotch.

_One day, someone is going to succeed in achieving their ultimate goal of revenge. Because people do not forget. They hold grudges._

Hotch was oblivious to the target set directly on his back as he was walking away. Since they had come to the station straight from the hospital, Reid didn't have his own weapon to draw and fire. Reid did the only thing he could think of doing.

"Hotch!" He closed the few steps between him and Hotch in a run and pulled him down just as the gunshot sounded.

Hotch began to turn at Reid's warning call. Before he could process what was happening, he felt a force pushing him to the ground. It happened so fast that the gunshot took a moment to register. When it did, and the confusion began to pass, he was on full alert. He tried to get up off the floor, but something was partially lying on top of him.

Not something. Some_one_. Reid. And he wasn't moving.

Hotch let the others take care of the shooter. They had to have all been alerted of the situation from the sound of the gunshot. He carefully pushed Reid off of him and rolled him onto his back, looking for what he dreaded, yet knew he'd find.

He was surprised to find Reid's eyes open, but he was clearly in shock. The bullet had hit Reid in the chest. Hotch didn't waste any time as he put pressure on the wound. Reid's eyes locked with his. There was something in them, something portraying in them behind the shock. It was a sense of knowing. This time, Simon's words floated vicariously through Hotch's mind.

_I hope you can live with your choice. I hope you can live with the choice of choosing to die._

Reid had clearly accepted his choice. He didn't regret what he did. He accepted what was happening, too, and that worried Hotch.

"You need to stay with me, Reid!" Hotch tried to keep his voice calm; he didn't need any of his fear to pass onto Reid.

Reid nodded weakly, the energy clearly draining from him. Hotch kept speaking to him, encouraging him to stay awake as he ignored the others that had gathered around them. He was hastily pushed away as the medics finally arrived. They could only watch Reid was worked on, and it wasn't long before he lost consciousness.

* * *

Reid had felt it. He knew as he went down with Hotch that the bullet had found a target, not the intended one, but a target nonetheless. He couldn't move. He felt like he couldn't breathe either. Someone else moved him and rolled him onto his back. Hotch, obviously. Reid stared at the ceiling above him until Hotch's hands were placed on the bullet wound. He knew it wasn't a good sign that he couldn't feel it. He should be in so much more pain than he was right now. He should be relieved that he wasn't, but it was hard to while knowing what that could possibly mean.

He looked up at Hotch. He could see the worry in his eyes and obvious shock of the consequences of Reid's actions. But Reid didn't regret what he had just done. If he hadn't, Hotch would have been shot, possibly even dead. If he prevented that, it was worth his own agony in return. It was worth his own life.

Hotch was now telling him to try to stay awake. He nodded in a feeble attempt to let Hotch know that he understood, that though he accepted his actions, he wasn't giving up. He noticed other people beginning to gather around the two of them, mostly the other members of his team. He was fighting to keep his eyes open as Hotch's face was replaced with unfamiliar ones. As his eyes finally closed, he held on to the image of his team members. If this was it, if this was the end, he wanted his last thought to be of something good, of something that had made his entire life worth living.

* * *

They were waiting again. The six of them were once again gathered in the hospital waiting room, impatiently waiting for any news on Reid. Hotch was especially quiet, and the rest understood why. They wanted to offer him some form of comfort, but he didn't seem to hear any of their spoken words anyway. What do you say to someone who was obviously wishing to switch places with someone that was in surgery? They were all shocked and worried for Reid, but he was taking this the hardest.

As the doctor finally came in, they all quickly stood, expectantly waiting for him to speak. The profiling nature in all of them didn't fail to notice the doctor's grim expression. He finally spoke. But everyone immediately wished he hadn't.

"I'm sorry. The damage was too great. There was nothing more we could do."

The shock they felt couldn't be described in words. Garcia, JJ, and Prentiss didn't bother to hold back their tears as the true reality of the situation slowly began to sink in. Morgan and Hotch disappeared shortly after hearing the news, Morgan slamming his fist on the door on the way out. Rossi was close to letting go, but he held his own. There was something he needed to do first.

He left the three women and followed the path of which he thought Hotch had gone. Now, more than ever, he knew Hotch needed to hear what he had to say. Rossi exited the hospital doors, and it didn't take much to find him. He was standing around the side of the hospital, leaning one hand against the wall, the other at his hip, with a clearly pained expression displayed across his face.

"Hotch," Rossi called as he approached him.

"Don't, Dave," Hotch immediately replied.

"It's not your fault."

"I don't need to hear that right now."

Rossi took a couple of steps closer. "I think you do."

Hotch shook his head. Rossi could tell he was close to breaking down.

"This shouldn't have happened," Hotch spoke as his voice was beginning to crack. "If he hadn't..."

"If he hadn't done what he did, you'd be dead."

"But Reid would still be alive."

"And he would be blaming himself for not doing anything."

Hotch didn't respond, so Rossi continued. "Reid made a choice, Aaron," he spoke firmly. "You're going to have to live with that."

Hotch was silent for a moment, avoiding eye contact with Rossi as if it would prevent him from noticing the tears beginning to form in his eyes.

"I don't know if I can, Dave," he responded shortly before turning and walking away.

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_Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13_

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**~ The End ~**

**Oh boy. Please don't kill me... It was hard to write this chapter. I guess it's a good thing this is fanfiction. I just have to write a new story, and he'll be alive again! ;) That's probably the only reason I could even do this. If anyone actually died on the show, I'd be devastated.**

**Anyways, I don't have any plans for another sequel, but I guess it's a slight possibility. No promises, though.**

**Thanks for reading, and thank you for the many reviews and comments! They are greatly appreciated, so please let me know your final thoughts!**

**...It's okay. I understand if you hate me right now. You don't have to be gentle. I can take it...**


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